


Groom

by Audrina



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Ben is 15, Bittersweet Ending, Canon Compliant, Dark fic, Dry Humping, Dubious Consent, Emotional Manipulation, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Gaslighting, Grooming, Kidnapping, Manipulation, Molestation, Older Woman/Younger Man, Past Character Death, Post TROS, Post-Canon, Power Imbalance, Pregnancy, Premature Ejaculation, Stockholm Syndrome, Teen Ben Solo, Threats, Threats of Violence, Time Travel, Underage Kissing, Underage Sex, Victim Blaming, Virgin Ben Solo, Virgin Rey (Star Wars), World Between Worlds, dunno if you would call this a fix it fic, i see a lot of underage ben fics but he's always the aggressor and not rey, rey is 25, rey seems a little crazy, this time rey is the aggressor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:48:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22798075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Audrina/pseuds/Audrina
Summary: 15-year-old Ben Solo is kidnapped from Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Temple by a young woman named Rey, whose origins are as mysterious as her motives. Though scared at first, he soon grows increasingly fascinated with her, until fascination evolves into attraction which Rey not only welcomes, but acts upon.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 322
Kudos: 484





	1. Captive

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry I've been MIA you guys. I had a lot going on in my life. Also TROS really did a number on me, and I'm still not over how much they totally botched the ending. Anyway, I'm now writing my first canon-verse post TROS fic. Not exactly a fix it fic though. And yeah, it's still dark fic, this time, with Ben being the underage one with Rey being older. I've read my fair share of Ben being underage fics but I've never read one where it's Rey who's the aggressor, so here I am, filling a personal need and I hope you guys come along for the ride. Not sure when the next update will be, but there will be updates.

He woke up with a start, gasping for breath as the roughness of the linen scratched his cheek. With a groan, he tried to push himself up but couldn’t, and it took a few seconds of blinking with bleary eyes before he found his wrists and ankles bound in binders.

Panic set in, and he looked around the small space he was confined in. Durasteel walls. Artificial lights and blinking panels. Two cots across each other, one of which he was lying down on. The low hums of hyperspace. He was in the sleeping quarters of a ship, and he had no idea how he got here, or most importantly, who had taken him here. All he remembered was training alone in the forest near his uncle’s Jedi temple before he sensed a presence and blacked out.

He took deep breaths to help calm himself. He’d just been kidnapped but he shouldn’t be afraid. He could get out of this. He had the Force. His kidnappers probably didn’t know that, and he would use it to his advantage, starting with releasing himself from the binders.

He managed to get himself to a sitting position, leaning against the wall as he moved his bound wrists in front of his face. He started tapping into his power when faint electrical shocks emanated from the binders, breaking his focus. He tried again and again, but the more he tried, the stronger the shocks became until his hands fell on his lap, and he leaned heavily against the wall, chest heaving with heavy breaths. These were no ordinary binders. These were shock-cuffs; which meant whoever kidnapped him knew he was Force-sensitive. Then again, why wouldn’t they? He was wearing white Jedi padawan robes, and levitating rocks in the forest before his abduction.

His panic increasing tenfold, he slid down the floor and shuffled to the durasteel door so he could kick it with his bound feet. “Let me out of here! Let me out!”

He felt something within him. A flicker of a response, but it didn’t feel like it was coming from him. It was coming from somewhere in the ship, and as the seconds passed, he sensed a presence--the same presence he had felt in the forest--come closer and closer until the door slid open to reveal a human woman in robes not unlike a Jedi’s, but in muted colors, mostly grays and whites. Most conspicuous of all was the lightsaber clipped to her belt, and he felt relief wash over him at the sight of it.

“Are you one of my uncle’s padawans?” he asked, his eye still on her lightsaber. It looked to be coppery brown in color; not like the shiny metal sabers the older padawans constructed for themselves. He himself had yet to make a lightsaber, though he already knew what design he wanted to make when the time came for him to build it.

“I’m...I was one of his students, yes,” the woman answered, her voice soft, seemingly in awe. He tore his eyes away from her inert weapon to look up at her face for the first time and found his breath catching. 

The woman was beautiful, with hazel eyes that seemed to sparkle under the lights above, long, chestnut brown hair with a single bun behind her head while the rest of her hair cascaded down to her bosom, her lips pink and set in a small smile. She was probably the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on, and he felt his heart pound in a way it never had before. The girls at the temple he had taken a fancy to didn’t hold a candle to this creature before him.

“Uhm...great,” he said nervously, and pushed himself up to a sitting position on the floor before holding up his hands to her. “Could you get me out of these shock-cuffs? They’re beginning to chafe my skin.”

She shook her head. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Ben.”

Ben Solo stilled. “How do you know my name?”

He watched the woman grow pale. It was clear she hadn’t meant to say that, but she quickly recovered. “Everyone knows the son of General Leia Organa and the famous smuggler Hans Solo, right?”

She had tried to sound casual about it, but her words made Ben’s eyes narrow in suspicion. “My mom is a Senator, not a general. And my dad runs a shipping business. He’s not a smuggler.”

Again, the woman looked like she had been caught saying something she shouldn’t have. Whatever relief he may have felt at finding another Jedi, whatever physical reaction he may have had to her all dissolved as fear once again set in. “Did you kidnap me for ransom? Or do you plan to sell me as a slave? Is that it?”

“No, no, never, Ben.” The woman walked further inside the small space of the sleeping quarters before kneeling in front of him and reaching out to touch his face.

He shuddered at the feel of her warm palm cupping his cheek, though he found himself unable to move away. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, but he felt an inexplicable pull towards her that was impossible to resist. “Were you...were you the one who knocked me out? In the forest?”

The woman nodded, palm still on his cheek, thumb moving back and forth in a caress. “Yes. I’m sorry I had to do that, but it was the only way I could think of to get you here with me.”

Ben swallowed. Her stroking his cheek like that was doing things to him. Apart from his mother, he had never had a woman touch him with such tenderness. “What do you want from me?”

“I...I just want to protect you,” the woman said, almost in a whisper, her eyes shining with...tears? He wasn’t sure, mostly because she was still smiling. “You’re so young. How old are you?”

“Fifteen.”

She let out a soft laugh, and it sounded almost like a melodious ringing of bells. “Great. Now  _ I’m _ the one who’s ten years older than you.”

She was twenty-five? She didn’t look a day over twenty, though Ben kept this to himself. He was drawn to her, sure, but he was now starting to think she wasn’t right in the head.

He let out a deep breath. He would have to appeal to her somehow if he were to convince her to let him go. “What’s your name?”

The woman beamed, seemingly happy with the question. “I’m Rey.”

“Rey.” Ben tested the name, and it rolled off his tongue as though he had always spoken it. “Rey, I know you probably have your reasons for doing what you did, but I would like to go back to the temple. My uncle would be looking for me by now and--”

Rey pulled her hand away from his cheek, her expression somber. “I’m sorry, Ben. But I can’t take you back. I won’t.”

He felt dread seep into his pores. “Why not?”

She let out a pained smile, and reached out to comb his dark hair away from his eyes. “I’ll tell you when the time is right. I promise you, that one day, you’ll understand. In the meantime, is there anything you’d like to eat? I brought ample supplies and--”

Ben shook his head vigorously. “I want to go home.”

“I know, I know,” she cooed, still running her hands over his hair, and Force help him, even though he was starting to fear for his life, he found that he liked the feel of her hands on him. “I know you’re scared right now. But I promise, I won’t hurt you. I’ll keep you safe.”

The way she said it was meant to soothe, but it was painfully clear to him now that she had no intention of letting him go. He swatted her hand away and began to thrash on the floor. “No! No! Let me go! Let me go right now!”

“Oh, Ben, please. Don’t turn me away, please.” She rose to her feet and took a step back, sobbing as she did. Ben saw tears running down her face and though he felt a twinge of guilt, his fear was far greater. This woman was absolutely mental!

“I said, let me go!”

“No!” Rey snapped for the first time, and Ben froze from his thrashing. “I’m never letting you go, Ben Solo. I spent the last five years looking for you and I’m not about to give you up.”

“You’re crazy!” he yelled. “You’re absolutely crazy!”

“Maybe I am crazy,” she said, her tone defeated. “It wouldn’t be the first time someone called me that. They all thought I was crazy for thinking I could ever bring you back, yet here you are.”

She was smiling through her tears, and Ben felt terror and confusion assail him all at once. What did she mean by bringing him back? Who the hell was this woman?

She knelt before him again, and he recoiled until he had his back pressed to the side of the cot. “Don’t come near me! I’m warning you!”

But she didn’t listen. Her eyes were intense as she reached out with an open palm towards his face, tendrils of the Force gently sinking into his head. His eyes widened. He knew what she was doing. He tried to protest, but the words would not form in his mouth.

“Shhh…” she hushed, and he felt his head loll to the side. “It’s okay, Ben. I just need to put you to sleep until you’ve calmed down, that’s all. And once you wake up, we can talk some more. Alright?”

Her words wafted in one ear then out the other. The features of the quarters swirled and darkened, and the last thing Ben remembered was the feel of soft lips pressing a tender kiss to his forehead.


	2. Helpless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben wakes up and tries to look for a way to escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much guys for waiting! I'm happy to announce that ksco ( https://archiveofourown.org/users/ksco ) is helping me beta-read this fic and she has been wonderful, catching mistakes, making suggestions for improvement and encouraging me. Thank you girl!
> 
> Thanks as well to you readers for reading, bookmarking, subscribing and commenting. Now, on to the fic!

Ben stirred awake, groaning as he sat up from the cot. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to his surroundings; a few moments for him to realize he was still in the same cramped quarters he had woken up in Force knew how long ago.

He wriggled his hands in the shock cuffs, hoping he could jiggle them open but it only sent more faint electrical pulses up his arms. He tried the same thing with the binders around his ankles, which were connected with a small chain--enough for him to shuffle rather than walk--and got the same results of having little electric shocks go through him. The shocks weren’t painful, but they messed up with his concentration so bad that he couldn’t even use the Force. Using the Force expended energy, and the cuffs seemed to pick up on that and automatically increased its voltage.

He looked around. There had to be something, anything, that he could use to get free; to escape the crazed lady who was holding him captive, but the quarters have been stripped bare except for pillows and sheets. Rey had clearly thought this through. He did have a lightsaber with him when he was training in the forest, but either Rey had taken it, or had left it behind after she had abducted him. 

Then, he noticed something. The lack of that low hum of hyperspace. The steadiness of the ship. Either they were floating in space, or they had landed on a planet somewhere. He wasn’t sure. There were no windows in the quarters for him to look out and see, and the room itself was so standard, he couldn’t even tell what kind of ship he was on.

The door slid open, and Rey stepped in. Instinctively, he backed up in the cot, pressing his back against the cold metal wall.

She smiled. If it were any other situation, he would have found her radiant and beautiful, but right now, she just appeared creepy. “Hello, Ben. I see you’re awake.”

He didn’t answer, but kept his eyes on her as she stepped further inside until she was sitting on the cot across from his. The space was so cramped that their knees touched.

“I’m sorry for how I handled things earlier,” she said, before she reached out to put a hand on his knee, the touch sending a jolt through him. She was very touchy-feely. And gentle. Nothing at all like how he’d imagine a kidnapper to be. “Anyway, I’ve prepared some food. Maybe you’d like to eat with me?”

His eyes darted towards the open door. Sunlight was pouring in from the corridor, clashing with the artificial light of the ship. Could they actually be on a planet right now?

“Where are we?” he asked.

“Batuu,” Rey answered, much to Ben’s surprise. He didn’t expect her to answer, nor did he expect them to be as far out as the edges of the Outer Rim. He was a long way from the forested planet that housed Luke Skywalker’s Jedi temple. “It’s one of the few planets that farms the Alderaanian vegetables I needed for the stew I’m making.”

He glanced towards the open door again. Maybe it was wild hope, but he thought he could hear the din of a marketplace outside. This could be his one chance.

“I...I need to use the ‘fresher.” He swallowed, trying to sound casual as he pointed to his ankle binders. “I can’t go properly with these on.”

“Of course, of course.” Rey sounded apologetic. “Let me get them off you.”

He watched her take out a small device from her pocket and press a button. The binders beep and fell free from his ankles.

Ben was instantly on his feet, pushing Rey back onto the cot as he ran out of the room, wrists still in cuffs. He dashed along the cramped corridor, following the sunlight to the open ramp of the ship until he was outside.

The bright suns of Batuu blinded him for a moment but he quickly blinked back into focus. They were indeed near a marketplace, with all manner of species going through makeshift stalls of food, meats and produce. One quick sweep of the place, and his eyes zeroed in on a man in uniform. A police officer!

He made a run for it. “Help! Help! I’ve been kidna--”

The words died in his throat as he was suddenly lifted up from the ramp with the Force and thrown back inside, his shoulder hitting the durasteel wall with such ferocity, he was almost knocked unconscious. Still on the cold floor, he looked up to see Rey slam the button to close the ramp, glaring at him before heading to the direction of the cockpit. It wasn’t long before he felt the ship lift off the ground and blast off once more into space.

Rey returned to where he was not long after, and he felt himself cower from the sheer anger on her face. She was no ordinary Jedi. She was extremely powerful in the Force. He could feel the energy thrumming through her every pore, and in that moment, he had never been more afraid of her.

He tried to push himself up from the floor, but ended up screaming from the sharp pain that lanced through his shoulder. Almost instantly, the anger in Rey’s face disappeared, and she knelt down before him.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Ben, but you shouldn’t have done that. You shouldn’t have run from me.” Her voice was full of concern, but Ben only heard the underlying current of a threat. “Here, let me help you.”

He flinched when she put a hand on his still throbbing shoulder, his fear turning into shock when he felt his shoulder painlessly move back into place. He rolled it around a little, and feeling no pain, looked up from where he was still crumpled on the floor to stare at her serene expression.

“See? All better.” She moved her hand from his shoulder to his arm, pulling him up to his feet before looking at him up and down. “Wow. You’re almost a head shorter than I am. That’s...different. I’m used to you being taller.”

Ben blinked at her. Her last words were particularly confusing, but what unnerved him the most was that she didn’t seem to realize the gravity of what had just happened. She’d thrown him to the wall with enough force to dislocate his shoulder. Then, with one touch, she had healed him, just like that. This woman had the power to restore him and destroy him, and it was the latter that made him tremble.

“So...do you still want to go to the ‘fresher?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Or was that just a ploy so you could escape?”

Ben shook his head. He may not have wanted to go earlier, but he certainly did now, especially with the edge in Rey’s tone. “I really do need to go.”

Rey eyed him with suspicion before her shoulders relaxed, but not her grip on his arm, as she led him back to the corridor and opened the door to the ‘fresher. “Let me know when you’re done. I’ll be right outside.”

Ben started to protest about having his wrists still cuffed, but Rey closed the door before he could say another word. He backed away and looked around the small space, which was just enough for a vacc tube, a sink, and a sonic shower. No windows, no hatches, nothing he could escape out of. And even if there was, how the kriff was he going to get out when they were already in space?

With a sigh, he went to relieve himself in the vacc tube, managing to pull down his front, though not without a degree of difficulty. He flushed once he was done, the vacc tube loud enough that Rey clearly heard it.

“Are you done, Ben?”

“In a minute,” he called, adjusting his clothing. “Alright, yes.”

“Good. I’m opening the door now. But if you try anything, I won’t hesitate to use the Force against you.”

Ben swallowed. “I won’t.”

Rey opened the door, locking eyes with him as though she were trying to read his thoughts. She very well could, he thought. Who knew what other Force powers she had mastered.

Then, she dropped to her knees and refastened the binders on his ankles.

“Hey!”

“Sorry, Ben. But I can’t risk you trying to escape again.”

“Are you saying you’re going to keep me tied up forever?”

“Not forever. But if you want to be untied, you’ll have to earn it.”

Ben felt himself grow cold. He really had no power here. “What do you want me to do?”

“Behave, for one thing.” She punctuated her point by pressing a forefinger to his chest. “And don’t try to escape again. I’m not your enemy.”

This time, his temper got the better of him. “You kidnapped me and threw me to a kriffing wall!”

“I had no choice.” Rey’s voice was surprisingly tender this time. “If I had let you escape...if I had left you at that temple, you would eventually…”

She turned her head away and bit her lip. Ben thought he could see tears in her eyes, but he wasn’t sure. If there was anything he was certain of, it was that this was the first time he had ever seen her sad.

“I would eventually what?” he asked.

She remained quiet for a moment, before she shook her head. “I can’t say right now. But you’re going to have to trust me.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Why should I trust you?”

“Oh Ben...you have no idea how much I want to tell you, but now’s not the time. I’ll tell you one day. Then you’ll understand that this is exactly where you belong.” She reached out to cup his cheek again, gently, almost lovingly. “With me.”

He managed to pull himself away. “You’re nuts.”

“Yes, you already told me that,” Rey said dryly. “Now, I’m sure you would like to eat. I know I do. Let’s go to the galley.”

She pulled him by the arm again, and he shuffled through his chains, having no other choice but to let her lead him through the ship. When he finally had his bearings enough to look around, he realized he knew exactly what ship they were on.

“This is the Verity,” he muttered, eyes widening. This was one of the starships in his uncle’s Jedi temple, used particularly for traveling with his students offworld. “You stole the Verity?!”

Rey shrugged. “Not the first time I’ve stolen a ship. I did steal the Falcon once.”

Ben felt his mind reeling. “Falcon? The  _ Millennium _ Falcon? My dad’s Falcon?”

She was still dragging him forward through the ship, and he thought he caught her smiling. “The one and only. The one that made the Kessel run in fourteen parsecs.”

“Twelve,” Ben corrected with a growl. 

“You sound just like your father when he said that.” Rey giggled as she sat him down at the table. 

“You know my dad?” he questioned. 

She had her back turned to him as she stirred something in a pot over the stove. Despite himself, he found his mouth watering at the delicious smell wafting inside the galley.

“I knew your dad, yes,” she said without looking at him. “Your mom too. She was the one who taught me how to make this stew. She told me it was your favorite, so I did my best even without all the native ingredients.”

Ben stilled. If he had thought she had been lying all this time, about being Luke’s student and knowing his parents, he was having major doubts now. His mother, of course, was one of the few left in the known galaxy who still knew of Alderaanian cuisine, and one of the few who knew what his favorite dish was.

“How do you know my parents?” he asked, sounding just as suspicious as he felt. “And are you really one of Master Skywalker’s students? If so, how come he never mentioned you?”

She turned away from the stove to look at him. “You call your uncle Master Skywalker?”

“Yeah. What of it?” he questioned back.

“I don’t know.” She lowered her gaze. “That sounds...quite impersonal. I would’ve thought you would call him ‘uncle’ like you do with Lando.”

Ben’s hands clenched into fists. “How do you know Uncle Lando? Scratch that. How do you know all this stuff about me?”

Rey’s frown turned into a smile. “Good question. And I promise you, I’ll answer it and all other questions you have in time. For now, let’s eat.”

She turned to take the pot from the stove and set it on the table. Ben turned away, trying his best not to savor the aroma of the stew while Rey laid out the bowls and utensils for them. 

She then sat across from him and filled up their bowls. “Don’t be shy. Eat.”

He rolled his eyes and held up his cuffed hands.

“Oh.” Rey had the decency to look embarrassed. “Let me help you then.”

He expected her to finally set his hands free, but she surprised him when she moved her chair to his side and began to spoon-feed him.

He quickly turned his head away. “I’m not a baby. I can feed myself. Just uncuff me already. ”

“Uncuff you? After that stunt you pulled earlier?” She sounded stern. “Until I can trust you not to escape, the cuffs stay on. Now, eat.” She tried pressing the spoonful of delicious-smelling meats and vegetables to his lips again, but he refused to open his mouth and turned his head away. Her features hardened. “Don’t make me force-feed you, Ben.”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing right now?” he spat.

“True. But would you rather I insert a feeding tube down your throat?” There it was again. A threat. The fear he had been trying to stamp down returned, and he turned to eat from her offered spoon. She smiled. “Good boy. See, that wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

Ben chewed quietly and swallowed. The food was delicious, but he couldn’t appreciate it. How this woman could oscillate from threatening to gentle, from angry to sad to happy was putting him on edge. Maybe she was crazier than he initially thought, and powerful in the Force to boot. Which made her very dangerous.

She continued to feed him spoonful after spoonful, sometimes stopping to feed herself but almost always focusing on him, even wiping the mess on his lips with a napkin. They were both quiet, but she seemed relaxed. Happy even.

He asked her to stop after a second helping. She nodded before looking down at his white robes. “Looks like I stained your robes with the stew. How about we get you to the ‘fresher for a shower and a change of clothes, hmm?”

“Whatever,” Ben mumbled and once again, allowed Rey to pull him up to his feet and guide him through the ship. Once they reached the ‘fresher, she moved him inside, and with the door still open, pressed the button on a small device in her hand to release the binders.

Both shock cuffs fell from Ben’s hands and ankles. His mind raced. This was his chance. And he took it.

Gathering the Force in one palm, he tried to push Rey to the wall behind her, only to be met by Rey’s open palm, power pulsating out of her, repelling his. He pushed back, but it was like pushing against a durasteel wall with his bare hands.

Then, Rey flicked her wrist,and he was lifted off the floor, arms now pressed to his sides, legs kicking for purchase but only found air. It was like a giant hand was wrapped around his body, and he could feel it squeezing until he could barely breathe.

“I warned you, Ben,” Rey said, teeth bared. “Do not make this any more difficult than it needs to be. You wouldn’t want a repeat of what happened earlier, now do you?”

Ben stopped struggling, panting as he did. It was no use. This woman was far too powerful. Far more powerful than he was.

She cocked her head. “Are you going to behave now? Or are you going to give me more trouble?”

“I’ll behave,” he grumbled, turning his head so he wouldn’t have to look at her. With the exception of his uncle, no one in the temple had been able to best him. And then this crazy lady came along and just threw him around like a rag doll. Him! Luke’s prized student! With the mighty Skywalker blood pulsing through his veins. It was downright humiliating. It was bad enough that he had to let her spoon feed him.

After a while, she set him down. “No more funny business, Ben. I mean it. Now, go take a shower. You’re filthy from training in that forest. I laid out some sleeping robes for you right there.” She pointed to the neatly folded clothes on the shelf by the sink. “Call me when you’re done.”

With that, she closed and locked the door. Ben’s first instinct was to try and use the Force to open it, but even if he did that, she would just toss him around again.

With one frustrated shout, he stripped off his clothes, practically ripping them from his body and tossing them to the floor before he got into the waterless sonic shower. The ultrasonic vibrations bounced off his body, removing dirt and grime until he felt clean enough to step out and put on the fresh clothes Rey had laid out for him.

“I’m done,” he called out glumly.

“Put on the binders first,” Rey called from outside, and Ben balked.

“But I’m not going to do anything anymore! Why do I have to put on the binders?”

“I told you. Until you earn my trust, the binders stay on.”

Ben growled and used the Force to pick up the binders from the floor, cuffing his legs first before his wrists. The cuffs beeped, and he called out to Rey again. She opened the door, gave him a once over before dragging him out and taking him back to the quarters.

She forced him to sit back on the cot. “Now stay here while I chart our course.” 

“Chart our course to where?” he dared to ask.

“As far from here as possible,” she said, crossing her arms. “I would’ve wanted us to stay in Batuu for a while, but because of your escape attempt, I’m now forced to travel further into Wild Space. Maybe to the Unknown Regions.”

A well of panic bubbled inside Ben, but he forced it down and mustered the courage to say, “Master Skywalker will find me. He can find anyone through the Force. And when he does, you’ll see. You’ll get what’s coming to you.”

Rey let out a smirk, and the sight of it made a shudder run down his shoulders. “I once defeated Master Skywalker in hand-to-hand combat. He’s not as powerful as the legends make him out to be.”

“You’re lying!” Ben yelled. “He couldn’t have been defeated. Not by the likes of you.”

“Let me make one thing perfectly clear, Ben.” Rey sat on the cot across from his. “I have never lied to you. Not even once. I may keep certain truths from you for now, but I will always be honest with you.”

He looked into her eyes then--her intense, hazel eyes which seem to bore into his soul--and sensed she was telling the truth. He could deny it as much as he wanted, but the deeper he searched his feelings, the more it became apparent that she was telling the truth.

He took a deep breath. He had a million questions running in his head, but one of them was first and foremost in his mind. “You’re never letting me go, are you?”

He watched her lips tighten into a fine line as her eyes shimmered beneath the overhead lights. She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Ben. I can’t.”

Ben felt his lips tremble. Everything he had been feeling the past day--the helplessness, despair, frustration and anger--it was all churning up inside him, and he had to turn his face away when he felt the pinpricks of tears at the corners of his eyes. He didn’t want to cry, but his tears refused to obey, and he grew even more frustrated that he couldn’t even wipe them away.

He felt rather than saw Rey move to sit beside him. His shoulders trembled from the sobs he had been trying to muffle, and when he felt her wrap her arms around him, he found himself leaning into the embrace. He hadn’t been held like this since he was a kid. It felt warm. Soft. Comforting. It felt like home.

But this wasn’t home. The person holding him in her arms was neither his father nor his mother, but a complete stranger who had taken him against his will, and he pushed Rey’s hands away as much as the binders would allow.

“Leave me alone,” he growled, before lying down on his side, back turned towards her. After a few moments, he felt her lift herself from the cot.

“You’ll come around,” she said in a small voice. When he didn’t reply, she sighed and left the quarters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew. Rey's definitely dominating Ben here. He's trying to resist, but he is slowly realizing that it's futile. What happens next? Stay tuned to find out!
> 
> So yeah, just like Blossoming, this Porn without Plot suddenly evolved into A WHOLE LOTTA PLOT so catch me brushing up on canon and legends material coz this is my first canonverse reylo fic.
> 
> Thanks again guys for reading!


	3. Want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben tries but fails to tap into the Force. Rey has other plans to keep him from escaping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm shut in because of Covid-19 so I'm able to write write write. Guys, do keep safe. Wash your hands, limit your contact with other people, and hole in and read fanfic ;)

Ben had spent about a couple of hours meditating. Or at least, trying to. All he seemed to be able to do was close his eyes and relax his body. Reaching out through the Force though was another matter. Every time he tried, the shock cuffs would interfere with his concentration. He couldn’t even send a pulse through the Force no matter how many times he tried--a pulse, a distress signal if you will, to the only being who could save him.

No, not his mother. Not his uncle. Certainly not his non-Force sensitive father, but someone else.

Someone who had been with him since he was a child.

A being, a voice who called himself Snoke--the only one who had always been present; guiding him and showing him truths that were otherwise kept from him. Like how his mother and father feared him. He had denied it at first. They loved him despite his bursts of temper and his sudden uncontrolled use of the Force. Toys, furniture and things flying and shattering. They loved him despite talking about him behind closed doors, in hushed whispers as they wondered what to do with him. They loved him, which was why they sent him away.

But he knew the truth. Deep down, he had always known, and Snoke had been the one to make him see. To make him swallow the hard truth that his parents’ love for him was overridden by their fear of him.

As for Master Skywalker, there was no fear. At least, nothing he could discern, but his uncle couldn’t provide him with the love and guidance he so badly needed. In fact, Skywalker held him back from his true potential, just like Snoke said. If Skywalker had only allowed him more freedom to learn about all aspects of the Force, and not just the light, then maybe he would’ve been powerful enough to get out of the situation he was in.

Ben shut his eyes, focusing with everything he had even as the cuffs sent stronger and stronger shocks through his body. He had to reach Snoke. The being in his head had told him that he cast a long shadow in the Force. He could still be found if he could just send out a cry for help. He wasn’t quite skilled with telepathy, but Snoke was. Only Snoke could initiate conversations with him through the Force. If he could send some sort of signal, then maybe Snoke could contact him. And once he told him about his abduction and about Rey, he would send help. 

A sudden spike of electric shock caused him to cry out, and he fell back on the mattress, body limp and shoulders heaving from labored breaths. It was no use. He just couldn’t use the Force with the binders on.

He heard the dull pitter patter of feet, followed by the woosh of the opening door. “Ben? Are you alright?”

Rey, he thought with disdain, and sat up on the bed to glare at her, only to have his eyes widen in shock. As usual, her hair was down, but it was stringy and wet, a damp towel around her shoulders. She had obviously just taken an actual water shower as opposed to a sonic one, but that wasn’t what had caused his whole body to freeze. Rey was in a black sweater and _only_ a black sweater with a conspicuous hole on the lower right side, her smooth legs exposed as the sweater only covered so much of her. 

His eyes became glued to the middle of her open thighs. Idly, he wondered if she was even wearing under things.

“Ben?”

He quickly shook his head free of unwanted thoughts. “I’m fine. The shocks hurt, that’s all.”

Rey sighed. “You shouldn’t use the Force with them on. I calibrated them myself. You’re only going to hurt yourself more if you try.”

Ben scowled, watching as Rey made her way to the cot across his and sat down, the sweater hiking up enough to show a flash of white panties. He quickly turned away, his face turning hot.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement, and angled his head so he could observe Rey towel dry her hair.

He puffed out a breath. “You should've used the sonic. Water showers are wasteful.”

She chuckled. “The ship’s water recycling unit is perfectly fine so no need to worry about that. Besides, I prefer water showers. It’s something I didn’t get to do growing up in Jakku and it’s one of the few luxuries I indulge in.”

Ben blinked at her. “You’re from Jakku? That junkyard?”

She glanced at him for a moment. “You and Han sound so alike. It’s uncanny.”

He felt his anger spike. “Stop talking about my dad like you know him.”

She stopped drying her hair and looked at him with a straight face. “I did know him. I told you. I knew your mom too as well as Master Skywalker.”

“Then how come they never mentioned you?” he shot back. He found it weird that she referred to his parents in the past tense, but that was hardly the point. “Master Skywalker would’ve mentioned having a student before he took me in. I was the first!”

Rey didn’t answer, but continued to stare at him in a contemplative way. It irked him how she could remain so calm.

“Are you supposed to be his secret student then?” he snarled. “Did Master Skywalker kick you out after you beat him in combat as you claimed?”

He saw Rey’s eye twitch, and his face began to twist into a sneer. He liked to think he was getting to her, but no sooner did he see annoyance in her face than it faded away to calm again.

“He didn’t kick me out. I left after I beat him,” she said, before continuing to dry her hair. 

“I don’t believe you,” he grumbled. Out of all the claims this woman had made, that was the hardest for him to believe. “I’ve seen Master Skywalker defeat several men all at once. If you really beat him, then prove it. I know you have my lightsaber stashed somewhere. Let’s land on a planet and have a duel.”

“I’m not going to duel with you. I’ve had more than enough to last a lifetime.” There was something wistful in the way she said that, her eyes on Ben even though it didn’t feel like she was looking exactly at him. “Besides, even if we do land, you’ll just take the opportunity to escape.”

He let out a sharp breath. So much for that, he thought, as he watched her stand up and open the door. He didn’t want to ask, but he blurted out, “Where are you going?”

“Just off to get something. I’ll be right back.”

The door closed again, and about a couple of minutes later, Rey came back with a long thick chain in one hand.

Ben instantly recoiled. “What are you going to do with that?”

“Sorry, Ben,” she said, turning around to open a panel on the side of the door and inputting several codes on the keypad.

His eyes widened. He knew what that panel was for. “Why are you locking the door from the inside? And what are you going to do with those chains?”

“I thought it would be obvious by now.” Rey closed the panel and approached him with the chains. “I’ll be sleeping here with you to make sure you don’t escape. The chains are an added precaution in case you try something while I sleep.”

“No!” He lifted his bound feet off the floor and backed up further against the cot, ready to kick if he had to. “I’m not letting you chain me to the bed!”

“Ben, don’t make this harder than it has to be.” Her voice was stern.Threatening. But there was no way in hell he was going to let her restrain him even more than she already had.

He pulled up his knees before lashing out with all his might, but she had apparently anticipated it and got out of the way. She moved fast. The next thing he knew, she was straddling his hips and wrapping the chain around the bar connecting his cuffs before looping the chain around the cot’s steel frame. He began to thrash, taking every opportunity he could to swat her hands away while he could still move his arms. 

“Hold still, Ben.”

“Kriff! Let me go!”

“I said hold still!”

She sounded threatening again but he didn’t care. She was in such close proximity that he could physically _hurt_ her if he wanted to. So he tried. He struggled, kicking his bound feet repeatedly, causing her to bounce where she straddled his hips.

“Ben, stop!”

He didn’t. He kept bucking up his hips to get her off him. It was working. She was bouncing uncontrollably on top of him, the chains loosening in her grip as she fought to stay upright. He needed to go faster. Harder if he were to make her lose her balance and fall to the floor. He needed to…

“Unnnnh….”

He stopped bucking almost immediately. Did Rey just moan?

He stared up at her. She still had the chains looped around the cot’s frame, but she was barely holding on to it. Her hair was wild, her lips hung open, her face was flushed…and she was panting.

He squirmed on the cot, no longer bucking, but trying to wriggle his hips free from underneath her. She moaned again, the sound shooting straight through him like a lightning bolt, electrifying his senses especially when she started moving her pelvis over his.

That was when he felt something soft and warm against his crotch. It confused him at first, but when he became aware of what it was, he froze. Rey was rubbing her crotch against the bulge in his pants, and he realized with dawning horror that he had grown a massive boner. 

His eyes involuntarily rolled to the back of his head when he felt her undulate her hips. His _cock_ was throbbing, and he could practically feel her through the thinness of her panties. He could feel her warmth...no, her _heat_ against him, and almost without thinking he began rolling his hips in time with hers, chasing the intoxicating mix of sensations coursing through his veins.

Rey trembled and fell forward, catching herself on the cot’s metal headboard so she was hovering above him, the chains clanking everytime she grinded against him. He felt his throat constrict as he raised his hips to meet hers, the cacophony of clanks and restrained moans echoing inside the small quarters, heightening his need for friction.

With hooded eyes, he gazed up at her, her long brown hair cascading down towards him, her eyes closed, lips open with her little pants. He already found her attractive, but at that moment, he had never seen anyone more beautiful.

Then, she opened her eyes slowly--hazel orbs with little specks of green which seemed to shimmer under the light. He could feel her breath on his face; could feel her weight as she began to press down on him, her pink lips parted as she drew closer and closer and...

His whole body suddenly seized, and he gasped as he came hard in his pants. He groaned and shuddered with every spurt of cum, and his head fell back on the pillow when his orgasm tapered, chest rising and falling with his heavy breaths. 

He felt Rey shift on top of him, and he thought he could see stars blazing behind his closed eyes. He opened them to see her tuck her hair behind her ears, her cheeks tinted pink, a sheen of sweat on her forehead.

“Ben…” She swallowed. “Did you just…”

He blinked fast before his eyes widened. He had creamed his pants from rubbing himself against Rey. Or was it the other way around? Or both? He couldn’t recall anymore, but the post-orgasm haze quickly fizzled out to terror and shame.

He’d just ejaculated to his kidnapper!

“Get off me,” he said through gritted teeth, turning his head away so he wouldn’t have to look at her. He felt rather than saw her stiffen, probably from the edge in his voice, and she slowly lifted herself up from him, taking the now loose and unfastened chains with her.

“I’ll take you to the ‘fresher,” she said flatly, pulling him up to his feet and putting the chains on her cot, grabbing a small object along the way. He would realize later on that it was the device to unlock his binders.

Once he was locked in the ‘fresher and the binders set free from his hands and feet, he quickly shed his clothes, almost ripping them off in much the same way he had earlier when he took a sonic shower. Only this time, he didn’t use the sonic. Only a hot water shower could cleanse him now, and he turned up the heat to the point that it was scalding but he endured it as he scrubbed himself raw, hissing at the sting of it.

When he was done, he had no choice but to put on the Jedi training robes he had been kidnapped in. Rey hadn’t laid out any new clothes for him, and the sleeping robes she had given him were now sticky with his spend.

Cuffing himself again as per Rey’s instructions, he stepped out of the ‘fresher, allowing her to hold him by the elbow as she led him back to their quarters. He didn’t even resist when she chained him to the cot. He didn’t want a repeat of what happened earlier. It didn’t feel good, or so he told himself. Maybe if he repeated that enough times, he would start to believe it. Maybe then his body would stop reacting to her the way it did, especially when she lifted her legs to her cot, once again giving him an eyeful of her panties, which he could’ve sworn was damp. 

“Good night, Ben,” she said, thankfully pulling the blanket up to her neck.

He didn’t respond. Only huffed as he lay back down on his cot, pulling up his own blanket as much as the chain and binders would allow. He turned his back towards her and stared angrily at the wall, wishing the heat of his glare was enough to melt a hole in it so he could escape. 

So he could be free from Rey’s clutches.

So he could be free from his unexpected want of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, finally something steamy! How will this affect Ben and Rey's already strange dynamic? Find out soon!


	4. Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben tries to avoid Rey after the last incident but it's better said than done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TAGS HAVE BEEN UPDATED!!! Be warned for triggers in future chapters.
> 
> So sorry for the delay guys. Real life and personal problems kept me away from updating but after several months, I finally have the next chapter and I couldn't have done it without ksco, my beta, who has been very patient with me and helped greatly with improving each chapter. Thank you thank you thank you!

It had been a few days since his abduction. Ben had kept his distance from Rey, as much as the cramped space of the ship would allow. She still wouldn’t leave him alone, and still slept in the same quarters as his, despite what had happened between them, and on his first day of being kidnapped no less. 

Rey didn’t seem to be affected by it. In fact, she acted as though it had never happened; never once mentioning it as she continued what was now their routine of spoon-feeding him, uncuffing him whenever he took a shower, and binding him to the bed with chains every night. He didn’t dare resist, for fear of a repeat of the first night. 

He couldn’t allow it to happen again, not because he didn’t want it, but because he did. It was all that consumed his thoughts. The way she had fit against him. The way she had moaned and gasped for breath. The warmth of her, the weight of her body over his. It was driving him mad, and he’d had to find release every time she let him in the ‘fresher. Otherwise, he would just be popping boners all day. 

He’d never been with a girl, obviously, let alone an older woman. Heck, he’d never been with anyone and the few times he was able to take care of business when he was still at his uncle’s temple had left him overcome by guilt. His guilt now was ten times that. Who the heck masturbates to their kidnapper?

He groaned and rolled to his side, hands still bound as he tried his best not to rub the tent in his pants. It was too dangerous to pleasure himself in the quarters he shared with Rey. She could come in at any time, but she had been leaving him without any entertainment, and boredom made him think too much about her. He still couldn’t get the image of her panties out of his head, even though he’d only seen flashes of them.

He gritted his teeth and curled into a ball. He was getting harder, but he couldn’t jack off. Not right now. Aside from the discomfort it would cause because of his shock cuffs and the possibility of being caught, jizzing in his pants was not something he looked forward to. Rey would be sure to notice and that would only add to his growing amount of shame.

The door whooshed open and he grabbed his pillow, putting it over his bulging crotch before sitting up to look at Rey. She was wearing that black sweater with the hole again.

“I just thought you might be lonely,” she said, her voice chipper. “I’m sorry I was gone most of the day, but I had to do some maintenance on the ship. It isn’t easy when you’re doing it by yourself.”

She went to the other cot and sat cross legged on it, her sweater hiking up to her hips so now he definitely had an eyeful of those white panties of hers. He blushed and looked away, feeling his dick throb so much he had to hug the pillow tighter against him.

“The next several days are going to be uneventful,” she informed, leaning backwards and propping herself up with her hands so now she was more exposed than ever. Was she doing this on purpose? Tormenting him? “So I’d like to spend more time with you from here on. Get to know you a bit more.”

He scoffed at that. “What would you want to know anyway? You seem to already know a lot about me.”

“I do,” she admitted, “but I still want to learn more about you. Like, for instance, have you always trained alone? I mean, you were alone when I...back in the woods. Don’t you have any friends?”

“I have friends,” he retorted, thinking back to Tai, Hennix and Voe, Tai more than the other two, “And they're going to help Master Skywalker find me.”

Rey nodded. “Can you tell me more about your friends?”

Ben scowled, annoyed that she had ignored his attempt at intimidation. Hmph. If she was going to ignore that, then he might as well ignore her completely.

He laid down in bed and turned his back to her. Yeah, he could keep this up, he thought. Spend his entire captivity in a silent protest. He didn’t need to talk to this woman about anything.

“Going to give me the silent treatment, are you?” Rey asked after a prolonged silence. He heard her sigh after a time, and he imagined her shoulders slumped in defeat. Good.

But then she spoke again, and her next words stopped him cold. “I know about your friend. The one who’s always in your head. Snoke.”

He was sitting upright before he could stop himself. His mouth opened, but no words came out. How did she know that? He had told no one about Snoke except for that time when he was a kid, which his parents just brushed off as night terrors.

“He was in my head once too.” Rey’s face was serious as she planted her bare feet on the floor, legs thankfully closed, hands gripping her knees. “Ben...Snoke isn’t your friend. He’s been manipulating you all this time and--”

“Shows what you know,” Ben spat, his anger spiking. “Snoke has been there for me. When my parents thought of me as a monster, he was the only one who didn’t. He sees me for who I am. My potential. He--”

“He sees you for your power,” Rey said, her voice sad. “That’s all, Ben. He’s using you and turning you against your family. He doesn’t care about you. Not like your parents do, no matter what he has told you. Leia and Han loved you and--”

“If Mom and Dad love me so much, why did they send me away?” he challenged, trying to sound angry although his voice was starting to break. “Mom could have trained me! She had trained as a Jedi once, and yet she sent me off to train with Master Skywalker instead when I was ten. Only ten!”

“Ben, I--”

“Does she even know how hard it was for me?” His voice echoed in the quarters now, loud and distraught. “How absolutely devastating it was to hear her and Dad speak about me like I’m a monster and then sending me off to train with an uncle I barely knew? I needed them and they threw me away like garbage!”

He saw Rey visibly flinch, as though he had hit a nerve. A tear rolled down her cheek, and it was then that he felt the warmth of tears cascading down his own cheeks.

He buried his face in his palms and began to sob. He hated crying. Hated it, hated it, hated it, and it was even worse because of his current predicament. But he couldn’t control his emotions. Rey was throwing him into so much turmoil, reopening old wounds he thought had healed. Or maybe he had never healed. He had just hidden it all away. Ignored it in the guise of being strong, but he wasn’t. 

He was still a kid, and he badly needed his mother. His father. But like Snoke had said, they didn’t need him in their lives. If they had they would’ve kept him with them, regardless of their fears of his bursts of temper, his bursts of uncontrolled powers. It was Snoke, more than Luke, who had been helping him keep in control. But Snoke wasn’t here. His parents weren’t here. All he had was this mysterious woman in front of him, watching in silence as he cried and cried.

After a few moments, he felt his mattress shift and he raised his head to find Rey, sitting beside him and leaning over to pull him in her arms. 

He froze. This was only the second time she had done this, and once again, a feeling of strange calmness came over him. He couldn’t understand it. He didn’t know her. Kriff, she had abducted him! She frightened him, and yet, when she was this close, with her arms enveloping him, it felt like he belonged there. With her. It was all so strange, and he really should pull away like he did last time, but he found that he couldn’t. 

Her lips found his forehead, and his shoulders relaxed as an inexplicable warmth welled up in his chest. His sobs all but faded as she continued to plant soft kisses on his head, his hair, her breath tickling his ears as she moved to kiss his tear-stained cheeks. He closed his eyes and soaked in the intoxicating feelings brought upon by her kisses, the comfort it brought him.

The kisses stopped. He could still feel Rey’s shaky breaths on him, and he opened his eyes to see her staring at him, pupils glassy and blown so wide, they almost looked black.

Before he could say a word, he felt her cup his face, his eyes widening in astonishment as she leaned down to kiss him squarely on the lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger for you guys! Things are starting to heat up. And don't worry, as I have already started writing the next chapter so it shouldn't take too long. Thanks as always for reading and for patiently waiting!


	5. Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kiss changes everything, and a voice echoes through the Force.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voila! A new chapter is up! As always, I thank my beta ksco for all her insights and help in improving each chapter especially in terms of characterization (besides the grammar and punctuation). 
> 
> Mind the tags as always guys. Also, while this started as a porn without plot, it now has A LOTTA plot. So I need to set up story beats that will lead up to how it all ends and I hope you continue to join me in this ride.

Ben couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Rey was kissing him. Actually had her lips pressed against his.

He should shove her away, he thought. She shouldn’t be doing this. Not only was she his captor, she was ten years older! An adult! He was only fifteen! He knew it was wrong, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to push her away, or even pull away from the kiss. 

He found himself closing his eyes, all sensation concentrating on the point where their mouths met. Her lips felt familiar; almost as though she had kissed him in another life. It was a silly thought, yet it was the only way he could explain the familiarity of it. The way her lips slotted against his, the way her nose awkwardly collided with his as she moved her head for a better angle. And when he felt her lips part and glide against his own, he was lost.

He groaned into her mouth, and she moaned back, the sound making his whole body tremble with want. He still had the pillow over his crotch, and he could feel his cock strain beneath it.

His breath turned ragged when Rey deepened the kiss. This wasn’t his first kiss. He’d kissed a girl on a dare when he was twelve, but that had only been a peck. He had been disgusted by it, but this...there was no disgust, only overwhelming desire as he found himself leaning into her, the moans and smacking of their lips sending shivers down his spine.

He didn’t know how long they were kissing. His mind had drawn a blank, and all that was left was sensation after sensation, rolling through him in waves and drowning out all rational thought. 

Rey was the first to draw away, pressing her forehead against his as she did. He didn’t open his eyes. He was still lost in the feeling; could still feel the wetness of her lips on his.

Then, he heard Rey choke on a sob as she whispered, “I’ve waited so long to do that again…”

Ben’s eyes flew open, and he pulled back so quickly that he almost fell off the bed. What the heck did she mean by ‘again’? Had she kissed him without him knowing? Like in his sleep or something? The thought made him shudder, and it was then that he was finally brought back to his senses.

Rey must’ve seen his panic, because she reached out for him again. “Shh, shh, it’s okay, Ben. I felt it too, please don’t be afraid.”

He moved further away from her on the bed to avoid her caress. Felt what? Desire? The familiarity of the kiss? That strange yet strong sense of belonging in her arms? Or all of those things at once?

He should ask, he thought. Heck, he should speak, but he couldn’t. He was so confused with all those feelings and sensations coursing through him, but most of all, it scared him.  _ She _ scared him, yet he was drawn to her all the same. He didn’t understand it.

She made another attempt to cup his cheek, but this time, he shot up from the bed, nearly losing his balance in the process because of the forgotten cuffs around his ankles. “I...I want to use the ‘fresher.”

He saw Rey’s expression change to one of sadness, and suddenly felt the need to reassure her, but he held his ground. He had to get away from her somehow, even for a little while.

Rey nodded and stood to help him out the door, though she didn’t lead him by the arm the way she usually did. In fact, she didn’t touch him at all and just walked beside him. Thank the Force for little things, Ben thought. He didn’t need her touching him right now. Not when almost every part of him felt like live wire from all that kissing.

Once she had uncuffed him and locked him inside the ‘fresher, he slumped to the floor, back leaning against the closed door. His shoulders heaved with each deep breath he took, his eyes staring at nothing while his mind replayed what had happened only moments ago.

Rey, with her pupils blown wide, looking at him as though she wanted nothing more than to devour him. Rey, with her lips against his, moaning into his mouth as she held him in her arms.

Without thinking, he raised his fingers to trace the remnants of the kiss on his lips. Rey had felt so warm, so right, and had she not broken off the kiss...had she not said anything, he might’ve moved in for more.

He lowered his hand from his lips to his chest, feeling his heart flutter beneath his palm. There was no denying it now. He wanted her, and it was clear as day that she wanted him. Had she always wanted him? She certainly knew a lot about him, and she may have been telling the truth this whole time: that she did know his family too. 

His eyes widened. Had she...had she been stalking him for some time? Perhaps even befriended his family without him knowing so she could learn more about him? Then kidnapped him so she could finally have her way with him? What was she, some fucked up lady pedophile?

That thought made his blood run cold, and he was finally reminded of the severity of his situation. Rey had already shown she was far more powerful in the Force than he was. She had enough power to do anything she wanted, period. She could even force herself on him and he would be powerless to stop it. She was far stronger than him in the Force. And, if he were to be completely honest with himself, he didn’t know how much resistance he would put up.

He shook his head and once again, looked around for a means to escape. It was futile, he knew. But he had to escape somehow.

_ “My boy…” _

Ben shot up to his feet and looked around. He knew that voice of course, and he couldn’t be more ecstatic. Still, he managed to curb his excitement as he closed his eyes and concentrated.

_ “Snoke! You have to help me!”  _ he projected his thoughts hurriedly, fully aware that Rey could sense him using the Force and come in any minute.  _ “I’ve been kidnapped by a crazy woman. She has me on the Verity and I think we’re already in the Unknown Regions.” _

Ben clenched his fists and waited. More than once, he had tried to send a pulse in the Force for Snoke to sense while he was uncuffed in the ‘fresher. This was the first time he had ever received a response, and it made him hopeful for a rescue.

_ “Yes,”  _ Snoke’s deep voice rumbled through his head.  _ “Reports of you having vanished have reached the far edges of the galaxy. Your parents have made it public that you have gone missing and have deployed their resources in search of you. I--” _

_ “Mom and Dad are looking for me?” _ he asked, astonished. He figured Master Skywalker would try to look for him, but his parents? The very people who had dumped him on his uncle’s doorsteps?

_ “Don’t be fooled into thinking they care for you,” _ Snoke reminded, clearly still able to see through his thoughts.  _ “They’re only doing this to keep up their image as outstanding parents. If they truly wanted you back, they would’ve done so a long time ago by not sending you away.” _

The reminder was like a gut punch, and Ben felt his shoulders sag. Snoke was right. His parents were only going to make a half-hearted rescue attempt to save face. They didn’t want him back.

_ “Tell me exactly where you are, and I will send my armies to rescue you,”  _ Snoke said, his voice menacing, yet soothing at the same time. Ben knew Snoke led entire armies, but that was the extent of his knowledge. Snoke had said he would tell him everything in due time.

_ “I don’t know where I am,” _ Ben replied in his mind, lips and eyes clamped shut.  _ “Rey keeps me locked up and shock-cuffed most of the time. She is extremely powerful in the Force and I can’t overpower her so there’s no way for me to get our coordinates from the cockpit.” _

Snoke was silent for a bit.  _ “Rey? Is she your abductor?” _

_ “Yes.” _

_ “Tell me more about her.” _

Ben opened his eyes and looked nervously at the closed door behind him, waiting for it to open. It didn’t. He couldn’t sense Rey behind the door either, and he quickly grabbed at the chance of telling Snoke what little he knew--that Rey was from Jakku, was ten years older than him and a very powerful Force user. 

He also told Snoke about Rey’s claims of being one of Luke’s students, and that Snoke had once been in her head. He didn’t tell Snoke about the other things--of the night Rey had rubbed herself on him, and the kisses they had shared only moments ago. No, those were private. 

Ben gritted his teeth, doing his best to steer his thoughts away so Snoke wouldn’t see his shame. The last thing he needed was Snoke looking through his mind and seeing his memories of those moments between him and Rey. They were far too intimate to share, and he was much too humiliated because he had actually  _ enjoyed _ her advances.

_ “Hmmm…I do not recall being in the mind of such a woman. I am, however, intrigued.” _ Snoke seemed to be deep in thought, silence stretching so long, Ben thought he had lost their line of communication until the voice in his head continued.  _ “I cannot pinpoint exactly where you are in the Force. So I will need your exact coordinates so I can have my people locate you.” _

_ “I can’t get past her or sneak into the cockpit,” _ Ben thought, trying to remain calm even though he was starting to grow frustrated.  _ “I tried escaping more than once but she’s too powerful.” _

_ “Then, you must earn her trust.” _

Ben blinked. He hadn’t expected that.  _ “How do I do that? All my escape attempts have made her suspicious of me.” _

_ “She desires you, does she not?”  _ Snoke asked, and Ben froze where he stood.  _ “Yes, my boy. I can see through your thoughts. Your memories. This woman fancies you, so you must use that to your advantage.” _

Ben swallowed, not knowing what to say. He was mortified and did not want to know what Snoke could have possibly seen..

After a while, he asked,  _ “How do I use her...her desire for me to my advantage?” _

Snoke seemed to snicker in his head, almost mockingly.  _ “You’re a smart boy. You’ll figure it out.” _

Ben bit his lip. Was Snoke telling him to encourage Rey’s affections? Her advances? It seemed to be the logical conclusion, but he didn’t want to do that. He didn’t want to end up being a victim of a kriffing pedophile, regardless of his own attraction towards her.

He wanted to ask Snoke more questions, to ask for specific instructions but he could no longer feel his presence in his head. Snoke was gone, and he was, once again, alone.

With a sigh, he used the ‘fresher and changed into some fresh clothes. He started to put on his shock cuffs, but he stopped to concentrate for a moment. He hadn’t sensed Rey outside the door earlier when he talked to Snoke, and he realized he still couldn’t sense her now.

“Rey?” He banged his fist against the door. No response. His eyes darted towards the panel beside the door, and he realized with a jolt that the door was unlocked.

He pressed the button to open it, and stuck his head out the door to look at both sides of the corridor. It was empty.

“Rey?” He called, gingerly stepping out of the ‘fresher. Still no response, and he felt his heart jump to this throat. This was it, he thought. He might not be able to escape just yet, but he could sneak into the cockpit and get their coordinates! And with the shock cuffs gone, he could quickly send a signal for Snoke to communicate with him again.

He started walking briskly down the corridor and towards the cockpit, all the while trying to make as little noise as possible. Every breath he took seemed too loud, and even the blood pumping to his ears sounded like a dull drum. He didn’t want Rey catching him and throwing him to a wall, but he may never have this opportunity again. He had to try.

He turned to the corner leading to the cockpit, his heart thumping his chest the closer he got to the door. He was about to press the button to open it when he heard sobs coming from the other side.

His heart sank. Rey was in the cockpit. He could hear her. Sense her even. There was no way he was getting those coordinates now.

Dejected, he started to leave, fully intending to go back to the ‘fresher when he heard Rey loudly say, “I can’t. I can’t do it. Ben’s too young right now.”

He stopped in his tracks and looked at the door again. Rey was still talking rather loudly, and definitely arguing with someone. But who? There was no one else on the ship except for the two of them, and even if she were talking with someone through holo, shouldn’t he be able to hear the other side of the conversation? Unless she was using a private comlink?

Or it could be something else, he thought as he sensed the Force thrumming through the air. Was Rey talking to someone through the Force? And what did she mean she couldn’t do it because he was too young? Do what exactly? 

Despite himself, Ben inched towards the door and pressed his ear against, straining to hear the conversation in the cockpit.

“No, please. I can’t,” Rey sobbed. “I can wait a few years. I can...okay. You’re right, but still...no, you should’ve seen the way he looked at me. As though I’m disgusting. And I am. He’s only fifteen but I…”

The talking and the sobbing stopped. Ben quickly pulled away from the door but before he could even think about running, the door slid open and Rey stepped out, her shock at seeing him quickly evolving to anger.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, slowly lifting her arm, and Ben just knew she was going to use the Force on him again.

He held his hands in front of him as if to protect himself and at the same time calm her down. “The ‘fresher door was unlocked and I went looking for you. I sensed you were in the cockpit, that’s why I came. I wasn’t trying to escape, I promise.”

Rey looked at him with suspicion, her hand still lifted and pulsing with the Force. He swallowed but remained where he stood, trying his best to appear as innocent as possible. 

After a time, she lowered her hand, her expression softening. “You must be hungry. Shall we have dinner in the galley?”

He nodded and started walking beside her when he remembered something. “I, uh, left my shock cuffs in the ‘fresher. Should I go get them?”

Rey paused and stared at him, her eyes lowering to his unbound hands and feet. Ben waited for her to say yes and lead him back to the ‘fresher, but she surprised him when she shook her head.

“It’s fine, Ben. We can have the shock cuffs off for now as long as you promise to behave.”

Ben blinked at her, unsure of what to say so he simply nodded and walked beside her. She had apparently already prepared some food. He could smell it before they even turned to the galley.

Once there, he sat at the table and waited as she quietly set down two plates of meat and vegetables. He half-expected her to spoon feed him again, but when she gave him his own set of utensils and sat across the table instead of beside him, he realized she was letting him eat on his own.

This was progress, he thought, as he began to dig in. Maybe she had begun to trust him a little, and he suddenly remembered what Snoke had told him.

_ “...you must earn her trust.” _

He swallowed and began to think, his gaze moving to the woman across him. Rey was barely eating, her eyes downcast. Maybe she was still thinking about her conversation with whoever that was in the cockpit. Perhaps he could distract her from that.

After a few more spoonfuls, he decided to start with small talk.

“Tai, Hennix and Voe,” he said, which made Rey look up at him curiously. “Those are my three friends. Tai is my best friend. We always do everything together but we had a fight the day you...took me. That’s why I was alone in the woods.” He took another spoonful of meat and vegetables, trying to drown out the bitterness threatening to come out of his tone. “Hennix is the smart one and the mediator of the group while Voe...she’s more of a rival than a friend. At least, she thinks of me that way. She’s mostly pissed because she could never beat me at anything. Plus, she didn’t like it that I kissed her when we were twelve so…”

Ben’s eyes widened. He hadn’t meant to add that bit at the end, and he watched the color drain away from Rey’s face. He wasn’t sure if it was because of his story, or because she was reminded of the kiss they’d shared in the quarters earlier.

“So...this girl Voe was your first kiss?” Rey asked, her voice flat for some reason, and Ben could sense that she was sad.

“I only did it because of a dare,” he said, sounding more defensive than he had meant to. “We were playing a game of spin the lightsaber. It was stupid and I didn’t like the kiss. It was disgusting.”

His own words gave him a pause, and Rey seemed to stiffen even more. He quickly remembered she had used the same words on herself when he had eavesdropped on her. Was that it? Did she think she was disgusting for kissing him? 

Well technically, she was, he thought. Rey was an adult after all and had no business messing around with a fifteen-year-old, but he didn’t want to tell her that. He had to earn her trust. Use her feelings for him to his advantage as Snoke had said.

“I...don’t think you’re disgusting, Rey,” he said as gently as he could, and started to reach out for her hand when he saw her face harden.

“You...you heard? You heard me in the cockpit?”

He clenched his teeth behind his closed lips. Shit. He should’ve been more careful with his words. He could try to lie, but he knew she’d already caught him. There was no way out except to tell the truth.

He nodded. “I...heard you arguing with someone and I got curious. I thought someone else was on the ship with us.”

Rey narrowed her eyes. “How much did you hear?”

He swallowed again, trying to drive down the instinct to lie. If he were to earn her trust, then he had to come clean. “Something about me being too young.” Too young for what, he didn’t know, and at this point, he was too afraid to ask.

“Is that all you heard?”

Ben bit his lower lip before answering. “I also heard you say something about me thinking you’re disgusting. But really, Rey, I don’t.”

He watched as Rey’s shoulders sagged, tears welling up in her eyes. “You...don’t? But I shouldn’t have kissed you. You’re just a kid and I’m...I’m sorry, Ben.”

She looked down and started to sob. Ben had never seen her this emotional; this vulnerable. It was as if he were the adult in the situation, and she was the little girl in need of comfort.

He pressed his lips together. He remembered all those times Snoke would soothe him with words of encouragement when he was at his weakest emotionally. That had been how Snoke earned his trust. Rey was weak right now. So if he could make her think he cared, then maybe…

Ben rose to his feet and dragged his chair to sit beside Rey, who looked at him through glassy eyes, tears still clinging to her lashes. She was really beautiful, he thought, his heart pounding as he reached out to take her hand in his. If only she weren’t much older. Or crazy for that matter.

He squeezed her hand. “I...didn’t hate the kiss.”

She blinked at his words, another tear rolling down her cheek but she wiped it away with her free hand. “You didn’t?”

Ben shook his head. “No, I didn’t. I actually...liked it. More than I should.”

Rey stared silently at him, her eyes searching his as though she was trying to see if he was being truthful. His gaze never wavered. He wasn’t lying. She may have put him through a lot of shit--physically, emotionally, mentally  _ and _ sexually--but he was telling the truth.

“I liked it too.” A small smile crept up on Rey’s lips. “I know I shouldn’t have done that. It’s all so wrong but at the same time it feels…”

“It feels right,” Ben finished the sentence, his voice almost in a whisper. He wasn’t sure what compelled him to say that, but it was the truth. It did feel right, and by the look on Rey’s face, he could tell she felt the same way.

“Yes.” She nodded. “Did you feel it? That pull in your heart and soul?”

Ben swallowed as he nodded, doing his best not to appear alarmed, not because Rey sounded like a lunatic, but because he  _ did _ feel it. That pull from deep within him. That pull towards  _ her _ .

“It’s confusing, isn’t it?” Rey let out a soft laugh, and it made his heart lurch into his throat. He had never heard a more beautiful laugh. “But one day, you’ll understand why.”

“Why don’t you make me understand now?”

“In time, Ben. In time. For now, let’s finish dinner and then prepare for bed.”

Rey pulled her hand away and resumed eating, happier now than she had been earlier. Ben clamped his lips shut as he took his chair and returned to his plate. He had succeeded, right? Rey seemed to trust him more now. So why didn’t he feel like he was in control of the situation? Of his own feelings towards her?

No. He shouldn’t allow himself to be distracted. He had to take the reins. Continue to try and get her to trust him to the point that she let her guard down. 

He would start by talking. Because what better way to befriend and earn someone’s trust than through conversation?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep. The manipulation tag has always been there, but who said it's Rey who's gonna be doing the manipulating? ;) Hope you guys enjoyed this. The next chapter has already been beta'd by ksco (thanks girl!) and I plan to post that sometime next week. The next chapter after that is being outlined as we speak, so yeah, you don't have to wait several months for an update.
> 
> Thanks as always for reading guys!


	6. Manipulation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben strikes up a conversation with Rey to gain her trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's only been a few days since my last update, but I've been writing up a storm so here's an early update for you guys. I'm still laying the ground work for some future stuff so this is more of a plot driven chapter. Hope you enjoy and feel free to interact in the comments section! 
> 
> As always, thanks to my beta ksco for helping me out with everything!

Ben spent the next hour talking to Rey in the galley. She seemed to like hearing him talk and tell her about his life--his childhood, his likes and dislikes, everything. He had never had anyone so interested in him. Even Snoke, he realized, was mostly there to speak his inner fears out loud and reassure him. Snoke had never really asked him who he was as a person; not like Rey, who asked him question after question, and laughed at his stupid stories and jokes. 

Ben started to smile. He was flattered by all the attention, and that was when he realized the tables had turned. He was the one who was supposed to be acting interested in Rey, not the other way around.

Deciding to take a hold of the situation, he said, “So, Rey, what about you? What was your childhood like in Jakku?”

The smile disappeared from Rey’s lips. “I...didn’t exactly have a good childhood.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

Rey was quiet for a moment. “My parents sold me off to a junkyard owner. A crolute named Unkar Plutt.”

That gave Ben a pause. “You were a slave?”

It took a while before Rey quietly nodded. He swallowed hard. He knew slavery was still being practiced in parts of the galaxy, but he had never met a slave, let alone someone who had been one since they were a child. “How old were you when your parents sold you?”

“I was five.”

Ben felt his fingers clench into fists. Five. Only five and her parents sold her to slavery. When he was five, all he had to worry about were which toys he would be playing with or when his dad and Uncle Chewie were coming back to take him flying on the Falcon again.

Rey lowered her gaze to her empty plate, and he was suddenly overwhelmed with the need to comfort her. To tell her that he could relate to her because he felt like he had been discarded by his parents too. But no, that was stupid. His experience was nothing like hers. He may have been dumped like garbage, but at least he had an uncle to take care of him. He wasn’t forced into labor and was well provided for. But Rey...

“How long were you a slave for?” he asked, his tone now somber.

“Until I was nineteen,” Rey answered, her voice equally gloomy before she raised her eyes to look at him. He didn’t know what his expression was, but he must’ve looked mad because she quickly said, “Don’t be angry, Ben. My parents only did it to protect me.”

“Protect you?” he growled, trying but failing not to grit his teeth. “From what?”

“I...I can’t say.” She lowered her gaze again. “But they had good reasons. They didn’t have a choice.”

“Yes, they did have a choice,” Ben said hotly. He didn’t know why he was so riled up about this, but he was. The image of a five-year-old Rey, crying on the junkyard planet of Jakku was so vivid in his mind, he could almost feel her pain. “If they really needed to protect you, they could’ve given you to a relative, a friend, an orphanage. Anything but a slave master. And what’s worse, credits were exchanged for you. You were sold.”

“I...yes, I was,” Rey agreed. She sounded broken. “I can’t say I completely understand why my parents did what they did, but trust me when I say their reasons were good.”

Ben slumped back in his chair, crossed his arms and looked away. No doubt, Rey had been telling herself that to make herself feel better, but he refused to believe her parents sold her out of the goodness of their hearts. Whatever their reasons were, it was a monetary transaction that left their daughter enslaved for fourteen years.

To his surprise, he heard Rey chuckle. “In some ways, I’m actually glad that you’re angry for me. It makes me feel like...someone cares.”

That caught his attention, and he turned to find her tucking her hair behind her ear. She was smiling, and her cheeks were rosy pink. 

_ “She thinks I care for her,” _ he thought. Could it be that he had succeeded in gaining more of her trust? If that was the case, then he might as well up the ante.

“I...I do care,” he said, trying to sound as gentle and as convincing as possible. 

He saw the blush on her cheeks deepen when he said that, but then her smile faded.

“You’re not just saying that to get me to trust you, are you?” she asked, and he almost panicked until he remembered something she had said. 

He could use it against her, he thought. And best of all, he didn’t have to lie.

“It’s not that,” he said softly, then mustered a serious expression. “I’ve always felt drawn to you. Ever since you took me. And after we...after we kissed, that pull...something inside me...it just felt stronger.” He watched the suspicion leave her eyes until all that was left was joy. He needed to encourage that, so he added, “And it’s really weird, but kissing you felt familiar. Like I’ve kissed you before.”

“Yes,” she whispered breathlessly, though he wasn’t sure if she was saying yes because she agreed with him, or because she was confirming that they had kissed once.

That was when he recalled another thing she had said.

Curiosity getting the best of him, he asked, “After we kissed, you said you waited so long to do that again. Are you saying that we’ve already kissed before that?”

“I...that’s not what I…” Rey looked flustered, squirming in her seat before looking away. “What I meant was...I’ve waited so long to kiss someone again.”

Ben felt his eye twitch. “You’ve...kissed someone else before?”

_ “Idiot!” _ he screamed in his head. Of course she had! You don’t kiss like that without having prior experience. It may have been a bit awkward, but that was probably all on him.

Rey didn’t say a word. Only nodded her answer, and it made his stomach churn.

“How many have you kissed?” he asked. He had meant to sound lighthearted. He had even meant to smile. But he didn’t. If anything, he sounded almost sulky.

“Aside from you, only one,” Rey said and offered him an attempt at a smile, though he could see tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. “So just like you, I’ve only ever kissed two people in my life.”

Ben felt a wave of relief wash over him, though he quickly stamped it down. He wasn’t relieved by her revelation. No way. 

He really should drop the subject, he thought. Change to a different topic, but he couldn’t let it go. “Were you also twelve when you had your first kiss?”

She shook her head, her smile all but gone. “It was five years ago. When I was twenty.”

Ben pressed his lips together and waited for her to say more. He had told her about Voe after all, so he expected her to tell him about her experience too, but she didn’t. Instead, she turned away and looked out at the passing of stars through the galley viewport. She seemed lost in her thoughts. So lost in fact, that he’d had to call her twice before she looked at him again.

“Sorry,” she apologized, and let out a deep sigh before standing up. “It’s getting late. We really should get ready for bed.”

Ben looked at the chronometer on the wall, surprised at the late hour. Time seemed to have flown by when he talked to Rey. Maybe he should talk to her more often, rather than be bored out of his mind while confined in the quarters. 

Or maybe he didn’t have to talk to her that much or be bored for much longer, he thought, as he reminded himself of what he needed to do. What Snoke told him to do. Rey was warming up to him. Even opening up to him. He just needed to push a bit more so that she would completely let her guard down and Snoke could come rescue him. 

“Ben? Are you coming?”

He shook away from his thoughts and followed Rey out of the galley and towards the quarters. They passed by the open door of the ‘fresher, where Rey stopped to stare down at the shock cuffs on the floor.

Ben’s eyes widened. She wasn’t thinking of cuffing and chaining him the whole night again, was she? If she did, he wouldn’t be able to communicate with Snoke, much less sneak out to get the coordinates after she falls asleep.

Thinking fast, he reached out to entwine his fingers with Rey’s, her surprise palpable as she looked at him with wide eyes.

“It’s okay, Rey,” he reassured. “You can put the shock cuffs on me. I’m used to it.”

It was a bluff of course. A gamble, and he hoped and prayed it would work.

It did. 

“No, it’s fine Ben. There’s no need for the shock cuffs anymore.” She smiled and tightened her fingers in his, and he had to stop himself from pumping his fist in the air. Progress!

Hand in hand, they walked towards the quarters, only letting go once they were inside. Almost immediately, the atmosphere changed. Memories of their kiss bombarded Ben’s thoughts as he stared at his cot. He’d been in her arms right there only a few hours ago.

From his peripheral vision, he could see Rey was looking at his cot too, all the while biting her lower lip. It made him tremble with unexpected excitement, and he had to shake himself back to his senses. 

“I guess this is good night,” he said, and quickly headed to bed, pulling the covers up to his neck before turning his back on Rey. He didn’t want to see her face right now. “Good night, Rey.”

“Good night, Ben,” she replied, and turned off the lights. He heard the rustle of linen followed by a sigh. “Thank you. For the conversation earlier. I really enjoyed talking to you.”

“Me too,” he admitted, almost in a whisper, before quickly getting a hold of himself. No, he mustn’t let her or his feelings for her sway him from his plans. He needed to wait for her to fall asleep so that he could sneak out. Get to the cockpit, get the coordinates, contact Snoke, then return to their quarters. It was a concrete plan. Not very difficult to execute. After days in captivity, he would finally be free.

So why was he suddenly hesitating?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know what (some?) of you are thinking. Where's all the juicy stuff? All I can say is remember that this chapter ends with the two of them in the same quarters. With them sensing a shift in the atmosphere. After they had kissed only hours before. So you know...basically just stay tuned for the next chapter. Thanks as always for reading guys!
> 
> As an update, the next chapter has been sent to my beta and I'm just waiting on feedback from that. Hopefully I can post it soon!


	7. Embrace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben has a horrible dream, but he's not the only one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See guys? I told you there would be frequent updates :) Thanks as always to my dear beta ksco for helping me deal with writing errors and giving me better ways to express what needs to be expressed in the sentences and paragraphs. Her guidance and encouragement has been a huge help in shaping up the fic.
> 
> Now, to the juicy parts I had promised in the previous chapter!
> 
> As always, mind the tags. But you made it this far, so you should already know that there are sexual stuff happening between an adult Rey and a teen Ben. Don't like, don't read.

Everything hurt. He could feel the ache in his ribs, each breath burning through his lungs as he climbed up the sheer, rocky wall of the chasm. His fingers bled from the sharp rocks he used as leverage, the blinding pain from his broken leg nearly causing him to falter. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. He had to get back to the surface. 

He had to get back to  _ her. _

He couldn’t sense her through the Force, but he didn’t want to believe that she was gone. She couldn’t be. Not when they had finally found each other. The Force wasn’t that cruel.

He inched his way upwards until his hand finally grabbed the edge of the chasm. With what little strength he had left, he pulled himself up to the surface, his eyes searching through the debris until he saw her a distance away, lying on the floor, stiff and unmoving.

No.

Holding on to his sides, he took step after labored step, falling to his knees as pain shot up his leg. He stopped the urge to scream, grunting as he rose to his feet and once more staggered to her side, falling to the ground again when he reached her.

On his hands and knees, he moved closer, momentarily startled by how pale she was. He grabbed her hand, feeling for the pulse he already knew was not there, and as carefully as he could, he took her in his arms.

She was cold, her eyes open and lifeless.

Rey was dead.

Ben sat up from bed with a start, sweat drawing a cold trail down the side of his face. It took a while before his rapid breathing slowed, and he realized he’d fallen asleep while waiting for Rey to sleep. Fuck. How could he allow that to happen? And what was up with that horrible, horrible dream?

He pawed at his ribs and wiggled his toes. He was not in pain. No wounds. No broken bones. Nothing. But it had felt so vivid. So real. Like a memory. Even his agony over Rey’s death still shook him to his core.

Rey…

He turned his head to the cot across from his. The panel lights in the darkened quarters brought enough illumination for him to see Rey’s sleeping form, but he couldn’t make out if she was breathing or not.

Without thinking, he slipped out of bed and crepttowards her, not knowing why he cared so much if she was okay. But he did.

He moved closer, drawn to her through some insane need to calm the fear still racing through his mind. Rey had kicked off her blanket sometime in the night, her legs splayed and her black sweater riding up high on her hips. Her panties were on full display, and Ben had to avert his eyes as he gingerly pressed his fingers against her exposed wrist.

She was warm and very much alive.

Relief made the tension in his shoulders disappear. He suddenly felt silly. All this worry over a stupid dream. Why he cared so much, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that her death in his dream had devastated him. Ripped his soul apart and carved a hole in his heart, leaving him with emptiness that would never be filled.

Shaking off the sudden gloom and doom of his thoughts, he grabbed Rey’s blanket and pulled it up to her neck. He stared at her for a while, making sure she was still breathing until he remembered what he had planned before he fell asleep.

The ship coordinates in the cockpit. He needed to get them.

He tiptoed towards the door. The control panel told him Rey had left it unlocked, and he raised his hand to press the button when he heard her call his name.

Ben froze, a chill running down his spine. She’d caught him.

He shut his eyes and braced himself. She was going to use the Force on him. Throw him back to his bed and cuff him again, maybe even have her way with him. All that talking and getting on her good side...all thrown out the window. She was never going to trust him again.

Time passed, but nothing happened. He dared to look behind him, and found Rey tossing and turning in bed and moaning rather loudly.

“Ben…”

“Rey?” He didn’t know what compelled him to, but he found himself walking back to the side of her cot. Her eyes were still closed, and a pained expression hardened her features.

“Ben...Ben…”

She was dreaming, he thought, watching as she moved around in bed, her head shaking from side to side.

“Ben...don’t leave me...don’t...BEN!” Rey suddenly sat up, almost making Ben jump out of his skin. She was breathing heavily, shoulders trembling before she quickly turned to look for him. The room was still dim, but he could see tears streaming down her face. “Ben?”

“I’m here, Rey,” he reassured as he knelt in front of her and took her clammy hands in his. “I’m here. You were just dreaming.”

“Oh, Ben!” Without warning, she reached out and pulled him in an embrace so tight, he could barely breathe. “I thought I’d lost you again.” 

Lost him again? What did she mean by that? The questions swirled in his head but Rey was crying so hysterically by his ear, he could barely hear himself think.

“It’s okay, Rey.” He rubbed her back with both hands to soothe her. “It was just a dream.”

Rey continued to cry for a time, his knees throbbing from kneeling for so long in front of her. Still, he didn't pull away until Rey did. 

To his surprise, she grabbed hold of his hands when he started to slip away from her.

She sniffled. “Ben, can you...can you sleep with me...on my cot tonight?”

He felt his stomach flip. Sleep on the same bed with her? That didn’t sound like a good idea, especially not when he still had plans to sneak out.

She must’ve sensed his hesitation, because she added, “Please? I don’t want to be alone.”

“You’re not alone,” he said softly, and Rey audibly gasped. Or hiccuped, he wasn’t sure. “I’m just right across from you.”

Rey tightened her grip on his hands and shook her head. “Ben, please. I just...I just need you tonight. Just for tonight.”

“It’s going to be a tight fit,” he said.

Rey shook her head. “We’ll make it work.”

Ben bit at the inside of his cheek, mulling it over before reluctantly nodding his head. It didn’t look like she was going to take no for an answer, and if being beside her would help her sleep, then he might still be able to sneak away. 

With a sigh, he slipped into bed with Rey, relieved when she pressed her back against the wall to give him more space. He started to turn his back towards her when she put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“Ben, can you please face me?”

He clenched his teeth. He really didn’t want to, but at this point, he’d try anything to get her to sleep. So he turned, and Rey quickly tucked his head under her chin, wrapping her arms around him while he kept his close to his chest. Not for the first time, he noticed how he was shorter than her, and recalled the time when she said she was used to him being taller.

He closed his eyes and frowned. None of the things Rey had said made sense. He remembered her saying that she had been looking for him for five years. So that had been when she was twenty. When she had her first kiss. 

She claimed to have been Master Skywalker’s student, but as far as he knew, he was the first student his uncle had taken in. Unless Rey had been Master Skywalker’s student before that.

He lay quietly in Rey’s arms and let his thoughts consume him so that he could ignore the excitement building in him at being so close to her again. 

He distracted himself by coming up with a timeline. She had said she was a slave until she was nineteen. A year after that, when she was twenty, he became Master Skywalker’s pupil. So that meant that she was a student around a year before he was, and left shortly before he arrived at the temple. If it was true that she had defeated Master Skywalker in combat, then perhaps that was the reason why his master never told him about her. He must’ve been ashamed by the defeat.

Another claim she had made was having Snoke in her head before. Whether Snoke had been there for years or for a short while, he didn’t know. And at the moment, it seemed inconsequential.

She also claimed to know his parents. To know Uncle Lando. Did she know Uncle Chewie too? It wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination if she did. Maybe that was how she knew so much about him.

But the big question was...why did she abduct him? Why had she searched for him for five years? She wasn’t currently in contact with his family as far as he knew, unless the person he had overheard her talking to in the Force was his mother? His uncle? 

No, that was stupid. His parents and his uncle  _ were _ looking for him. It wouldn’t make sense for Rey to reach out to them when she was fully intent on keeping him. She had told him before that ransom wasn’t her motive, so what was? Because he belonged with her, as she had said?

What he would’ve brushed off as lunacy before, now seemed believable. He did feel like they belonged together. That pull that she had mentioned...there was no denying that it was there. She felt like home. With her, he felt whole.

Or maybe he was losing it, he thought. Maybe captivity was doing a number on him and she was indeed as crazy as he initially thought she was. He didn’t know anymore.

“What are you thinking of?”

Her voice interrupted his thoughts, and it took effort to stop himself from trembling. “Nothing.”

“It can’t be nothing, Ben. Tell me. You can tell me anything.”

“I...was just thinking how nice it is to be in your arms like this.”  _ Smooth, Ben. Absolutely smooth. _

“Mmhmm.” Rey nodded her agreement. He could almost hear the smile in her voice. “You think you could...hold me too?”

He blinked. He shouldn’t. This was getting far too intimate, what with their bodies already so close together that he could feel warmth emanating from her. But what choice did he have? If he didn’t, she might become suspicious again.

He moved his arms until he had them wrapped around her, his shaky hands instinctively rubbing small circles on her back.

Rey let out a low moan. “Yes...this does feel nice.”

They stayed that way for a while, Ben’s heart pounding so hard that he could hear the blood pumping in his ears and the dull thuds of his pulse. His breath hitched when he felt her kiss his hair, his forehead, his cheeks.

He swallowed. He knew where this would lead, but just like before, he couldn’t pull away. It was like he was cast under some kind of spell, his body and senses coming alive like never before. When Rey’s lips pressed against the corners of his, he moved his head to capture the kiss.

Rey stiffened, probably from his sudden boldness, but she quickly melted into the embrace and kissed him back. His mind blanked as they continued to share soft kisses, his hands roaming across her back and drawing lines up and down her spine. They tightened their hold on each other, their kisses becoming deeper and more urgent as time passed by.

He felt something soft and wet swipe across his lips before slipping between them, and he quickly pulled back. Did Rey just try to put her tongue in his mouth?

“S-Sorry,” she stammered, looking genuinely apologetic under the dim lights. “I...I just wanted to try that.”

“Don’t be sorry,” he breathed, licking his lips as his gaze moved to her mouth. She was licking hers as well, pink tongue darting out a little. “I...I liked it.”

“Really?” She smiled. “I liked it too.”

They stared at each other for a while before Ben pressed his lips to hers again. This time, when Rey slipped her tongue between his lips, he welcomed it. Their tongues touched tentatively at first, until they both grew bolder and began moving them over and under each other, lips smacking as they moaned into each other’s mouths.

Ben let out a muffled groan as Rey’s tongue danced against his. This was nice. This was really, really,  _ really _ nice. More than nice even. This was exhilarating. Exciting. This was his first adult kiss—a kiss he had only seen in the holo porn some of the boys at the temple had managed to sneak in. Except this was softer than that. Not so much full of lust as it was of something more intimate and meaningful. Like he had truly come to care for her.

Then, Rey moved even closer, pressing her hips flush against his. He could feel his hardness against her, despite the thin layers of fabric between them, her panties exposed again from all the moving around they had done. His eyes rolled to the back of his head when he felt her lift her leg over his hip and rub herself against the tent in his pants.

His orgasm started to build but he managed to hold back. He wanted this to last. It felt too good and he wanted more. More of her rubbing and humping, more of her moaning, more of their deep kissing. He wanted more. More. More!

Her hand, which before had cupped his cheek, slowly slipped away and circled around his forearm. She gingerly pulled his arm away from her back and guided his hand under her sweater until he felt a mound of soft flesh in his palm.

A boob. He was touching a woman’s boob. Holy shit!

He leaned deeper into the kiss and squeezed, causing Rey to cry out and break away. “Not too hard, Ben.”

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “Got too excited.”

“It’s okay.” She smiled and started kissing him again. “Just be gentle.”

He nodded and squeezed her breast gently, fascinated by the feel of her hardened nipple against his fingers. He gave the pebbled flesh a light, experimental tug, earning him a moan from Rey which echoed through the quarters.

He rolled her breast around his palm as they kissed, pinching her nipple from time to time while grinding harder against her. He was so overwhelmed with the sensations that he didn’t notice her hand slip away once again until he felt her warm fingers between his legs.

He gasped. Her hand was in his pants, her fingers wrapped around his throbbing cock. Oh fuck!

She began to jack him off, and his limbs turned to jello. He moaned loudly, only to yelp when Rey tightened her grip in excitement. “Ow, ow, Rey, you’re squeezing too tight.” 

“Sorry,” Rey said with a breathy laugh. “I’ve never done this before.”

That gave him a pause. She was a virgin? Like him?

He licked his wet lips. “Never?”

“Never. Only with you.”

The way she said it brought unexpected warmth in his chest, and he leaned over to catch her lips with his once again. Moving his hand away from her breast, he guided her fingers up and down his cock the way he liked until she found a rhythm that nearly made him lose his mind. 

He thrust eagerly into her hand, chasing the high it brought him. It didn’t take long at all for the dam to break, and he came so hard that he saw stars. His whole body seized and shook before he turned slack, mouth open with heavy breaths as Rey once again tucked his head beneath her chin.

Once their breathing slowed, he felt her slip her hand out of his pants, and watched through hooded eyes as she sat up to wipe her palm on the blanket before laying down beside him again.

“Was that good?” she asked in a small voice. 

He could only nod. Good wasn’t even enough to describe the feelings and sensations she had brought him. Amazing would be a better term, but he couldn’t even articulate it into words.

Rey kissed him again, chastely this time. He was feeling drunk. And sleepy. Like  _ really _ sleepy. It must’ve shown because Rey moved a bit so he was comfortable and said, “Go to sleep now, Ben. You need your rest.”

Rest, he thought. Yes, he needed to rest. Something nagged at him at the back of his mind, reminding him that he had something important to do but he ignored it. He was still basking in the warm afterglow of the most intense orgasm he had ever had.

Soon, his eyelids drooped and he started to fade away, and the last thing he remembered was seeing Rey’s hand in her panties, her fingers furiously rubbing until she cried out his name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! Things are heating up now. What will happen in the morning though, when the haze of lust has lifted and reality sinks back in? You'll have to stay tuned and find out. Chapter 8 has already been written and has been sent to my beta for reading. Still outlining Chapter 9.
> 
> Thank you as always guys for your support and your readership! It feels awesome to know that people are enjoying what I put out. So please, don't be shy. Leave a kudos and a comment or two, they are always a joy to read and you guys are a joy to interact with. Thank you so much and see you in the next chapter!


	8. Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben grapples with what had happened the night before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to make this quick guys because I have deadlines to meet. Here's the new chapter. That's it. Enjoy!
> 
> WARNING for for gaslighting (some self-inflicted), victim blaming, self-blaming, slight sexual coercion, slight dubcon.

Ben’s eyes fluttered open as he slowly woke up from a dreamless sleep. He pawed at the side of the bed, and when he noticed the vacant space, he swiftly sat up from the cot. 

He was alone in the quarters. The blanket was on the floor and the bedsheet was wrinkled, probably from all the moving around he and Rey had done the night before.

He felt heat rise to his cheeks when he remembered what had happened. Him and Rey, kissing with tongue. Rey, encouraging him to put his hand on her breast and play with her nipple. Rey, pumping his cock with her hand until he came.

His lips formed a shaky smile, but the excitement was fleeting and he buried his face in his hands. A dark cloud of shame hung over him from the implications of what had happened. His plans had been derailed. Not only that, but Rey, an adult woman, had molested him.

But was it really molestation when he was a willing and active participant? Because he _did_ end up liking it. He didn’t even want it to end. Still, he couldn’t help but feel dirty and used, or maybe he had allowed himself to be used. He was the one who had come to her bed; slept beside her and kissed her. He hadn’t even protested or done anything to stop it from happening. He _wanted_ it to happen.

It was all his fault.

He growled into his hands, trying to mask a scream before he calmed down. Only then did he feel the crusty feel of dried cum on his skin—another reminder from last night—and he rose from bed to head to the ‘fresher. 

The door was unlocked. Apparently, Rey trusted him enough now to leave it that way. And why wouldn’t she? They had gotten up close and personal in the last 24 hours...

He felt his cock twitch, and he gritted his teeth as he scurried down the corridor, fully intent on forgetting and washing away all evidence of last night. He was about to open the ‘fresher door when he saw the panel lights indicate that it was locked. 

He swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat as he heard water echoing from inside. Rey was showering in the ‘fresher. 

An image of her naked suddenly flashed in his mind—long, chestnut colored hair cascading down her back, water dripping down her body, to her breasts, her flat abdomen, to the middle of her thighs…

He shook his head and backed away from the door, cursing when he saw the tent in his pants. No, he had to get a grip! He had to get away from her and now was the best time to get to the cockpit.

He started to turn when he heard Rey sing. She was singing in a language he couldn’t understand, but the melody was beautiful, her voice even more so as she moved from note to note.

Before he knew it, he was in front of the ‘fresher again, pressing an ear against the door while his hand dove inside his pants. He groaned with each stroke he made, eyes closed as the vivid image of her dripping wet body continued to play out in his mind. 

He pumped his hand faster up and down his shaft, the shame from last night disappearing in a haze of lust. From somewhere in his thoughts came a reminder of what he needed to do in the cockpit, but he ignored it. He needed to get this out of his system first, or else he wouldn’t be able to function. 

He threw his head back and shut his eyes, imagining himself with Rey in the shower, touching her where he’d always wanted to touch a woman, kissing her like a man and not a boy. He imagined her touching him back, imagined her taking him in her hand and guiding him towards her...to the middle of her thighs...to…

He clenched his teeth, furiously pumping away. He was so close. He could feel that tingling sensation at the base of his spine, his entire body tensing up for an orgasm as he made the last few strokes and…

The door suddenly slid open, and he immediately jumped back, but not before cumming all over the white towel Rey had wrapped around herself.

They both gasped, though she sounded more surprised than anything else. He was so mortified that he couldn’t even move, his cock now limp in his hand, his mouth agape and eyes wide as he stared at Rey.

“I...I’m sorry,” he croaked when he came back to his senses, and quickly stuffed his cock back in his pants. Shit, shit, shit! This had to be the most embarrassing moment in his entire life, and there was no way out except to apologize. “I’m sorry, Rey, I…”

“It’s okay, Ben,” Rey soothed, cupping his face in her hands. “I completely understand. Last night must’ve left you eager for more, hmm?”

He didn’t respond, but he didn’t pull away either. What kind of sick perv was he, jacking off to a woman showering then jizzing all over her? A woman who happened to not only be much older, but also his abductor? And now, his plans were once again derailed, no thanks to him thinking with his dick. He would’ve gotten the coordinates by now if he hadn’t let his cock dictate him.

Rey slipped her hands away from his face and down to his wrists to pull him inside the ‘fresher. “Come. Let’s get you to the shower and out of those clothes.”

He nodded quietly, not really thinking as Rey led him into the shower stall. The floor was still wet and cold under his bare feet. Maybe Rey preferred cold showers, he thought. It made sense given where she’d grown up.

Rey hummed the same song she had sung earlier as she took off his belt and put it on a nearby counter. Her humming relaxed him a little, and he let her open his robe and slide it down his shoulders. 

She stepped back a little, and he swallowed. This was his first time being half-naked in front of a woman, and her appraising eyes made him self-conscious. He wasn’t a buff guy. He was awkward and thin, though a bit toned from all the physical training he’d done at the Jedi temple. A few more years maybe, and he would buff up. 

Rey smiled at him as if to reassure him, and he became acutely aware that she was almost naked too, wrapped up only in a cum-stained towel. It did things to his body, and he had to fight the urge to grab the towel and take it off her.

He waited for her to leave, but she didn’t. Instead, her smile widened, eyes twinkling with what he could only describe as mischief as she hooked her thumbs under the waistband of his pants and underwear and began pulling it down.

He grabbed her hands to stop her. “Wait, wait. What are you doing?”

“No need to be shy with me, Ben,” she said, her voice husky and almost seductive. “It’s not like I haven’t touched you. Besides, I want to see you.”

Ben shook his head vigorously and let go of her hands so he could cover the growing bulge over his crotch.

“No?” Rey tilted her head at him. “Then maybe...if you see me…”

“Rey, no--”

She unwrapped the towel and let it drop to the floor. Ben’s mouth went dry. She was exactly as he had pictured her in his head earlier while he was masturbating—slim and toned, her curves graceful and pleasing. At the moment, though, his eyes were glued to her chest, on the breasts that he had touched only the night before.

Rey crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly shy. “I know...they’re not very big. You’ve probably seen bigger in holo porn.”

“They’re...they’re perfect,” he managed, still mesmerized. They were perfect to him. _She_ was perfect to him.

His eyes traveled lower, to the tufts of hair between her legs. He blushed and quickly looked away.

He felt Rey delicately cup his cheek, coaxing him to turn his head and look at her. She smiled when he did. “It’s okay to look. I know you want to. And I want you to look at me too.”

His breath hitched. With another hard swallow, he lowered his gaze again, his eyes on the pink, hardened nipples of her perky breasts.

He must’ve been staring for a long while, because she asked, “Would you like to touch them?”

Ben blinked as two sides of him went at war. His hands trembled as he slowly raised them. He wanted to. He didn’t want to. Things were going out of hand, but his fantasies were coming true.

Before he could make up his mind, Rey reached down to take his hands, raising them to her breasts. Ben instinctively squeezed and she moaned, mouth hanging open, eyes closed in pleasure.

Then Rey moved in and kissed him hard. Ben couldn’t help but kiss her back just as fervently, his hands palming her breasts, his fingers playing and tugging at her nipples.

She moaned into his mouth and pulled him closer to her. She was already panting, her tongue wrestling with his, her arms wrapping around him. She was getting more and more aggressive with her kisses, as though she wanted to dominate him.

At that thought, Ben pulled away. “Rey, wait.”

She kissed him again, silencing him as she pinned him against the shower wall. She smiled against his mouth, as though she was happy, but it felt almost nefarious to him now, especially with how hard she was kissing him, how her hands roamed over him until they went lower and lower.

“R-Rey...wait…”

“You want this, Ben,” she said breathlessly in his ear as her hand slipped inside his pants. “I know you do. You want me, as much as I want you.” 

“Please, Rey...please…” He wanted her to stop, but even to his ears, he sounded like he was begging her for more.

“Don’t worry,” she reassured, nibbling at his earlobe and almost causing his knees to buckle. “I’ll help you…”

Her lips devoured his again, and he felt like he was drowning. He was getting lightheaded, his senses firing on all cylinders. It was all too overwhelming. But when he felt her fingers wrap around his cock, he broke free from the kiss and pushed her back.

“No!” he yelled, shoulders heaving as he tried to get a hold of himself. “This is...this is wrong. You’re twenty-five! I’m fifteen!”

Rey’s brows met, her expression hardened with disbelief. “That didn’t seem to matter to you last night. You were the one who kissed me on the lips first.”

She was right. He did. He started to look away in shame, but he stopped himself and said, “Last night was a mistake.”

“I...I see…” Rey looked down at her feet. She sounded hurt, and the silence stretched on before she grabbed her discarded towel and wrapped it around herself. “I should go. I’m sorry.”

Without another word, Rey hurried out of the ‘fresher, the closing of the door seemingly louder to Ben’s ears. With a shout, he punched the shower wall, causing pain to shoot up his knuckles, but he didn’t care. Pain was better than feeling all this confusion and turmoil inside of him.

Then he felt it. A presence. And he knew _he_ was there.

There were no preambles as Snoke’s voice echoed in his mind. _“Have you gotten the coordinates yet?”_

 _“Not yet,”_ he answered, pulling his fist away from the wall and shaking it to make the pain go away. _“I think I may have lost Rey’s trust because of...stuff I said to her.”_

Snoke didn’t pry. But Ben knew he could see into his thoughts.

_“You desire her.”_

_“Y-Yes.”_ Ben hung his head low. _“I can’t help it. I’m drawn to her for some reason. It’s like she has me under some kind of spell.”_

 _“It is of no consequence, my boy,”_ Snoke reassured. _“The pleasures of the flesh are hard to resist, especially at your age. You may partake of it, but do not lose sight of your goal.”_

Ben nodded. He understood what Snoke was saying, but all he heard in his mind at the moment was, _“You may partake of it...you may partake of it…”_

Snoke’s voice cut through his thoughts. _“Do what you can to bring those coordinates to me as soon as possible. My forces are ready.”_

The presence in his head disappeared, though his mind remained muddled. He needed to get into Rey’s good graces again, but how? It looked like he’d really hurt her with what he had said, even though it was the truth. Or rather, _especially_ since it was the truth. She shouldn’t be doing those things with him. _He_ shouldn’t be doing those things with her and yet…

Snarling, Ben took off the rest of his clothes and had a quick sonic shower. He changed into some fresh Jedi robes he found laid out on the counter. Rey must’ve gotten it from the stockroom of the Verity and prepared it for him. 

Once dressed, he left the ‘fresher and called out for Rey, his voice echoing through the corridor. No answer. He sighed and walked over to the cockpit. She was probably sulking in there or something, but he was shocked to find the cockpit empty.

His heart began pounding wildly, his hands turning cold as he quickly hurried to the control panel. And there it was, on the screen. The coordinates. Yes!

He looked around for a device, some paper, anything to jot down the numbers but he found nothing. He would have to contact Snoke again so he could relay it.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, taking in deep breaths through his nose as he did. He reached out through the Force, and almost immediately, heard a voice. But it wasn’t Snoke.

He shut his eyes tighter. No, not a voice. _Two_ voices. One was unfamiliar; deep yet youthful. An image of a young man momentarily flashed in his mind before disappearing into nothingness. The other voice was Rey’s, but the conversation sounded as though it were coming from the end of a long tunnel.

The young man—whoever he was—must be the person Rey had been talking to in the Force, and somehow, he had tapped into that.

He tried not to get distracted by it. He had more important things to do, but the more he tried to reach out to Snoke, the louder the other two voices became.

_“Doesn’t want me…”_

_“You have to…”_

Frustrated yet overcome by curiosity, he left the cockpit and followed the voices, surprised that it led him to the quarters. The door was closed, and he pressed his ear against it. No, Rey wasn’t physically talking like last time, but it was likely the conversation was going on in her mind. And he could hear bits and pieces of it.

_“A mistake…”_

That was Rey. She was still thinking about what he had said earlier and was now telling this mystery man about it. Ben found that he didn’t like that one bit.

The conversation continued, back and forth between the man and Rey.

_“Don’t...this dissuade…”_

_“Know...but…”_

_“Important...so much...at stake…”_

_“But I can’t...he is…”_

Ben focused harder on the voices, and for once, he heard one full sentence, this time from the young man.

_“You’re the only one left. This is a sacrifice you must make. So…”_

There was a sudden silence. Had he lost the connection? He concentrated harder, until he heard the young man say, _“He is listening.”_

_“What?!”_

They caught him. Shit!

Ben quickly stopped using the Force and backed away from the door, but just like earlier, Rey opened it before he could escape.

He froze. She had tear stains on her cheeks but she didn’t look sad. In fact, she looked angry. She was dressed differently too—not in her usual black sweater, but in a grayish tunic, brown belt and olive green pants.

“Ben.”

The way she said his name brought a chill through him. So cold.

Still, he squared his shoulders and put on a brave front. “Who were you talking to? And what did he mean about sacrifice?”

Rey’s eyes widened. “So you heard.”

“Yes, I heard you talking to someone through the Force,” he confirmed, masking the tremors in his voice with a hard tone. “Are you going to sacrifice me for a ritual or something? Is that why you kidnapped me?”

Rey stared at him for a bit, then shook her head. “No, Ben. I would never do that. And if you had really listened, you may recall that _I’m_ the one who has to make the sacrifice.”

Ben’s heart nearly stopped at a sudden recollection—of Rey dead in his arms. “Are you saying...you’re going to die?”

Rey opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, so he took the chance to say something. “I had a dream last night. In the dream, you were dead. And it felt so real, and felt...like some weird deja vu. Like it had happened before. I even felt pain from my broken bones and felt...distraught.”

His gaze remained steadfast on Rey, and he watched the color drain away from her face as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

She almost sobbed. “So...it _is_ you…” 

Her words confused him again, but he was far too focused on one point to think about anything else. “You’re going to die, aren’t you?”

She sniffled as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “I died a long time ago, Ben.”

“What do you mean by that?” he demanded. Something told him she was telling the truth. But was it literally or figuratively? “Are you a Force Ghost?”

Despite her tears, Rey chuckled. “No, I’m still a living human being. But I haven’t felt alive in a very long time. Not until I found you.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“I know. But one day, I will tell you everything. Trust me.”

“Trust you? How can I trust you when you’re hiding so much from me?”

“Touché.” Rey smiled, and she looked so beautiful even in sadness that Ben felt his heart ache.

He took a breath to steady himself. “Can you at least answer me this? Are you or are you not going to die?”

“We’re all going to die at some point, Ben,” she said, clearly evading the question.

“But you’re going to die young,” he said, more a statement than a question. Rey didn’t reply, and he suddenly found himself crying as the memory of his agony...his anguish at losing her came back in full force.

“It’s alright, Ben,” Rey said, her voice soothing as she stepped closer. “I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t want you to die!” he blurted out, stopping her in her tracks. “I don’t want you gone. I can’t...I can’t…”

 _“I can’t live in a world without you,”_ were the words that never left his lips. The words didn’t feel like his own; like there was someone else in his head, but not like the dark presence of Snoke. These thoughts and words were his, and yet not his.

He felt Rey put her arms on his shoulders, and he immediately hugged her tight, burying his face in her neck as she slowly combed her fingers through the waves of his dark hair. 

Once his sobs had subsided into sniffles, Rey let go and stepped back. He almost whined at the loss of her arms around him.

“I’ll get you some water,” she said with a slight smile. “I’ll be right back.”

Without thinking, he grabbed hold of her wrist, and she turned to look at him with knitted brows.

“Ben?”

He started breathing heavily. So many emotions were swirling inside him all at once—grief, pain, anger, and one feeling that seemed out of place—a feeling he would only allow himself to describe as tenderness.

Before he lost his nerve, he moved to frame Rey’s face with his hands, pulling her down to him and kissing her hard. Rey let out a muffled yelp, but he didn’t let her go.

No, this wasn’t part of any grand master plan to get her to lower her guard. Far from it. This was his own desperate need to keep her with him. To assure him she was still alive and breathing.

He pulled away after a few moments and searched Rey’s wide eyes—those hazel eyes which seemed to mirror his own. It wasn’t the lifeless eyes he’d seen in his nightmare. They were full of life and glistening with tears.

“I thought you said this was a mistake,” she said in a shaky whisper.

“I don’t want it to be,” he replied softly, then leaned in for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you as always to my beta ksco for helping me with the fic! Her insights are very important in shaping this fic. Thank you as well to you readers for reading and commenting! Don't forget to subscribe if you want e-mailed updates!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my beta [ksco](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ksco) for helping me catch the mistakes, encouraging me, and for helping me shape and mold the story to something even better.


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